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Utah Navajo Royalties Holding Fund

Higher Education Scholarship & Financial Aid (ONNSFA)

Goal


To provide for a fair and equitable distribution of UNTF scholarship funds to as many eligible Utah Navajo college students as the annual financial resources can sustain.

Program Description



It is the fundamental principle of UNTF to assist beneficiary Utah Navajo college students with scholarships regardless of where they attend an institution of higher learning. It is the intent of this program to match and/or attract other college scholarships or funding sources. The following policies and procedures are applicable to both the UNTF Higher Education Scholarship Fund and the UNTF Endowment Fund, unless otherwise specified.

Contact Information


The contact information for this scholarship program is as follows:
UNTF Higher Education Office
151 East 500 North
Blanding, Utah 84511

(800) 378-2050 (front desk)
(435) 678-1460 (front desk)
(435) 678-1462 (Education Specialist)
(435) 678-1463 (Education Administrative Assistant)
(435) 678-1464 (Fax)

E-mail: MHoliday@utah.gov

Types of UNTF Higher Education Scholarship Funds


Regular UNTF higher education scholarship funding is available to beneficiary students for studies at institutions of their choice.

Since the Fall of 1994, the UNTF Endowment Education Fund has been available for those students attending college in San Juan County, Utah such as the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) at San Juan Campus and other colleges with extension programs. The Endowment fund is primarily designed for rural area community colleges, and UNTF is an investor in the partnership of this funding program. The UNTF Endowment Fund operates primarily on interest earned from the investment under a special United States Department of Education program. UNTF’s participation is scheduled for a twenty (20) year period. In funding students at CEU or other colleges in San Juan County, Utah, the endowment funds must first be exhausted before regular UNTF funds are utilized. Endowment funds are based on the previous year’s interest earnings, resulting in a limited and fixed amount of funds available.

Eligibility Criteria


Student applicants must meet the UNTF residency requirement by providing a (letter of verification from their Chapter of the Navajo Nation or Blue Mountain Dine’ Community) to affirm San Juan County, Utah residency. Once provided to the UNTF Administration, the form will be maintained in the student’s folder and additional copies will not be requested unless a name change or record change becomes essential. The Chapter must require a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) for its records in establishing chapter membership of the Utah resident. UNTF does not require a CIB if the chapter is providing the verification.

The student must be enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours of approved college courses during the regular academic term to be considered for assistance from UNTF. Course work must apply towards an approved degree or certificate program from an accredited post-secondary institution.

Students are eligible for UNTF assistance in obtaining a One-year or two-year Certificate, Associate, Baccalaureate, Master, or Doctorate degree. Part of this goal involves funding students so they can progress successfully toward receiving a degree or certificate, and eventually leading to productive employment. Students are encouraged to declare a major in a given field early so that proper counseling and academic advisement are provided to the student.

Repeated and/or audited courses will not be funded by UNTF.

The student must maintain a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 grade point scale. Grades from the previous quarter will be immediately submitted to UNTF following the completed academic term. Awards shall be made on a first-come, first-serve basis; therefore, it is essential and to the benefit of students to submit grades immediately.

UNTF is not a primary funding source. UNTF scholarship funds are considered supplemental to other scholarship and financial aid resources. The UNTF supplemental funding amount shall be subject to applicable academic term limitations approved for the fiscal year and GPA performance. UNTF will fund a student up to a limit of $1,380 per academic term. If a student goes to a high expense university, the extra expense will be the responsibility of the student.

The amount of funding afforded to each eligible student per academic term is also determined by the number of credit hours. The actual amounts of each student’s award is determined on a per credit-hour-group basis as described below. The amount per credit-hour-group will be determined as part of each years annual budget.

Academic workload incentive: Incremental scholarship amounts shall be awarded based on the workload taken; following credit/unit incremental groups of: 6 to 8; 9 to 11; and 12 hours or over per academic term. Award amounts will also be determined by the financial needs analysis. The incremental amounts shall not be construed by the institution to proportionally decrease other matching scholarships. Should a student drop a class which results in dropping the student to the next lower incremental group, the student’s funding for the next academic term shall be assessed a decreased funding adjustment, unless a refund is properly made by the student. In order to qualify for the “workload incentive” of policy 8, first-time students must submit to the UNTF Higher Education Office a course registration list by mail or telefax.

In order to facilitate the UNTF award on a timely basis toward the student’s next academic term with respect to policy 8 above on “workload incentive”, the student must submit a course list information from pre-registration to the UNTF Education Specialist. The information will help determine the actual award amount based on the number of hours or credit units to be carried in the next term.

UNTF reserves the right to make any programmatic decision regarding funding which are unique and are not addressed by these policies and procedures.

A reciprocal agreement between UNTF and the Navajo Nation’s Higher Education Scholarship and Financial Aid Program allows for the Navajo Nation to provide match funding to the UNTF and other acquired resource funds. All Student applicants to the UNTF funds must also apply for the Navajo Nation Scholarship. The UNTF funding schedule closely coincides with the Navajo Nation’s funding schedule to ensure coordination of deadlines, award time lines, etc.

Graduate students must submit a letter of acceptance and be eligible for UNTF Scholarship, but must carry the minimum graduate studies requirement of the institution, unless the course work is one of a special requirement for the professional track and/or tenure. This exception may include special licenses and/or certifications. Otherwise, graduate students are required to carry an acceptable level of course work. Graduate students must observe those same procedures outlined in the next section of these guidelines.

High School Concurrent Enrollment Program students must meet the eligibility criteria regarding Chapter affiliation and enrollment requirements, and provide a letter of recommendation for concurrent enrollment program participation from his/her school officials. All application requirements must be closely coordinated with the school district office, including tuition and other study related costs from the participating school. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in their high school studies to be eligible for this program.

Correspondence courses may be taken as long as earned credits are applied to a degree program or a recognized certification program under UNTF funding guidelines. All UNTF Higher Education Scholarship eligibility requirements must be met by the applicant before any assistance toward the correspondence courses can be committed. Students attending correspondence courses shall be eligible for UNTF funding if enrolled in at least three (3) credit hours of approved college course work.

Students with a “No Need” determination (as determined by the educational instution) may be awarded UNTF Grant assistance if the financial aid officer at the institution determines the parents cannot or are unwilling to provide the family contribution to meet the student's need as determined by the federal financial aid application analysis.

Emergency Assistance: UNTF-awarded students receiving scholarship and financial assistance under the normal process may also request additional emergency financial assistance provided that such need is justified in writing. The written explanation must demonstrate the validity of the situation in describing the emergency circumstance. “Emergency Circumstance” means “An unexpected situation or occurrence urgently requiring prompt action to keep the student in school.” The justification must also explain the ability or inability of the student and/or the student’s parents in aiding the situation. A situation that could have been avoided with reasonable planning is not considered an “emergency circumstance”. The written request may be telefaxed or mailed to the UNTF Higher Education Office. This policy allows one award up to $500.

Undergraduate Students must file a Pell Grant application with the U.S. Department of Education in order to determine their financial aid needs from UNTF.

When the financial needs determination is completed, the student must complete a UNTF financial assistance application which can be obtained from the UNTF Higher Education Scholarship The UNTF application must be submitted to the institution’s Student Financial Aid Office.

It is the responsibility of the institution’s Student Financial Aid Office to complete the needs analysis, and to request an award from UNTF based upon the determined need.

Upon completion of the needs analysis by the Office of Student Financial Aid, the UNTF Education Specialist will evaluate the level of financial assistance requested, matching resources, and make the appropriate award amount.

The UNTF Education Specialist will process the required and appropriate funding documentation to the UNTF Fiscal Manager for funding disbursement. The UNTF Fiscal Manager must maintain accounts historical and concurrent accounts of all UNTF-funded students for proper record keeping and reporting.

UNTF check(s) will be mailed to the institution’s Student Financial Aid Office. No payment(s) will be made directly to a student without the written consent of the Student Financial Aid Officer at the institution. The Financial Aid Office will check the student's academic progress before the disbursement of funds.

Graduate students must abide by appropriate application procedures in accordance with graduate-study program requirements. Supplemental funding from other sources is a major requirement in participating in the graduate-studies program, including program funds from the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Aid (ONNSFA). Other considerations regarding special studies as applied to the undergraduate program also apply.

Responsibilities of the Student


UNTF-funded students must maintain acceptable academic progress in conformance with academic standards set by UNTF and the participating institutions. The current policy of UNTF requires the funded student to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 to be eligible for continued funding consideration.

All UNTF-funded students must submit an official transcript to the UNTF Education Specialist as soon as grade reports become available. Such documents and/or transcripts are required for continued funding eligibility. If this requirement is not met, funds may be discontinued until such requirement is met. A student's inaction to provide needed and required funding documents is not grounds for grievance action on the part of the student.

Disallowable Financial Assistance


UNTF Higher Education Scholarship funds may not be used to pay loans, including education loans; purchase(s) of personal belongings not directly associated with higher education studies per se; encumbrances from previous year's college/university attendance; and other expenses for which the funds are not intended. Such disallowable costs will jeopardize the student's funding if Trust Fund funds are found to be misspent or misused. Students withdrawing from classes are required to refund the UNTF awards for that quarter. UNTF reserves the right to adjust awards for any refund amounts that were not paid.

The penalty for misspent or misused UNTF scholarship funds will include placing the student on ineligible status for a one (1) year period. The student may re-establish his/her elibility for UNTF funding by successfully completing a full academic year without the financial assistance of UNTF.

Misuse or false acquisition of scholarship or emergency assistance funds by the student shall be subject to repayment to UNTF Higher Education Scholarship Program via standard collection procedures, which may include legal action.

Grievance and Appeal Procedures


Grievance and Appeals Procedures A student may file a grievance with the UNTF Education Specialist if the student disagrees with the decision rendered regarding his/her funding. The grievance must be placed in writing and submitted to the Education Specialist within fourteen (14) calendar days of the date of adverse decision was mailed to the student. The written grievance statement must contain a justification as to why the Education Specialist’s decision must be reversed, including attachment of documents which may support such justification. The Education Specialist must report immediately upon receipt of the written grievance to the UNTF Fiscal Manager for review and to make a determination of the same within ten (10) calendar days. If the grievant is dissatisfied with the Fiscal Manager’s decision, a review (appeal) procedure must be followed.

A student further contesting the Education Specialist/Fiscal Manager decision may request a hearing in writing to the UNTF Scholarship Appellate Committee within ten (10) calendar days via the Education Specialist. The Appellate Committee must commence a hearing with notice to the student and his/her representative within fourteen (14) calendar days of the receipt of the request. The student shall be notified in writing by certified mail seven (7) calendar days prior to the hearing. A decision by the Appellate Committee shall be rendered within (15) calendar days after the Committee hearing.

Appellate Committee Member Composition


The Appellate Committee is made up of:

  • 1) a member of the Dineh Education Sub-Committee,
  • 2) the UNTF Administrator,
  • 3) a college student; and
  • 4) a representative from another state agency or institution.

The Appellate Committee may choose not to hear a case if the grieving party has not submitted a justification in writing with appropriate and necessary supportive documentation. The justification statement and all supporting documents shall highlight the fundamental reason(s) why the Committee should reverse the decisions made by the Higher Education Specialist and the Fiscal Manager.

UNTF Scholarship Application Schedule


The UNTF Higher Education Scholarship Program observes and follows a funding schedule compatible with Federal, State, Tribal, and private agencies. Students must carefully observe these schedules to allow for the most timely funding application consideration. Due dates for funding, i.e., to the Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Aid Office, are provided in leaflet or brochure literature. Matching funds are critical and essential, since UNTF funding is supplemental.

Students should observe the institution's academic year schedule and observe early funding application submittal to UNTF to ensure proper funding review and consideration. This is in respect to UNTF's funding policy that students must exercise prudent judgment and be responsible. Students should make sure that their request for financial assistance is properly maintained; for example, they should keep copies of their own applications. Students must perform their part of the funding responsibility in a timely fashion.

UNTF Scholarship Recipient Consent Form


A letter of instruction is provided to all UNTF scholarship recipients to informing them of the need to sign the consent form. The consent form authorizes the UNTF Higher Education office to access the student scholarship database within the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Aid (ONNSFA) in Window Rock, Arizona. A memorandum of understanding between the UNTF and ONNSFA allows sharing of student application and financial status information so application and scholarship commitments can be verified. This arrangeemnt allows the UNTF Higher Education Office to have this information readily available that eliminates the need for the student to travel to Window Rock, Arizona to obtain the needed information. The UNTF scholarship recipients must submit their consent forms by February 15th of each year to the UNTF Higher Education Office.